Dear Parents,   

Welcome back to 2023 and all that it has in store for us as a community.  At Mass this weekend, our priest, in his homily, mentioned ‘being salt of the Earth’ and ‘light of the world’.  He was explaining that as Christians we are a religion where community or sharing is paramount rather than being a religion that is about developing an individual’s faith in isolation. I encourage all of us this year, to offer what we can to those in our school community and by our actions and our words to spread the light of Christ and to preserve, (just as salt does), what we value as a Catholic community.

Parent Teacher Information Evening

Our annual parent teacher information night. This will take place on Wednesday 15th February. As in the past, each teacher will have two sessions and we invite you to come along to the session that is most suitable for you. The first session will begin at 5:30pm, followed by a whole school meeting in the hall at 6:00pm and a final teacher session at 6:30pm. All teachers’ presentations will be held in your children’s classrooms.

Staff Professional Learning

On Monday 30th, our staff joined with the staff of St Mary’s Warners Bay and Holy Family Merewether Beach to participate in a highly engaging day of professional learning lead by James Nottingham. James Nottingham is a highly sought-after British keynote speaker and author of 11 books about teaching, learning and leadership. 

Our three schools joined together with the goal of learning about what James calls, ‘The Learning Pit’ in order to boost the following qualities in our students

• develop a strong sense of self-efficacy
• engage willingly in challenging tasks
• interact with empathy & respect
• boost their resilience, determination & curiosity
• be critical, creative, caring & collaborative thinkers

This was an exceptional day and absolutely perfect for starting a new year of learning with our students.  Here at St Joseph’s we aim to have an amazing year of learning, which is both interesting and full of challenges.

Kinder’s First Day 

Here is our next generation of Joey’s students.  Don’t they look gorgeous?  Other than a few tears from parents, it was a ‘dry house’ on our Kinders’ first day.  This group of children said their goodbyes to their parents and walked down the Kinder corridor without so much as a second glance or “just one more cuddle”. They seem to be a very independent bunch indeed! They couldn't wait to connect with their buddies again and were so absorbed in all that the Kinder learning spaces had to offer. We look forward to welcoming their parents into this space this week.

School Holiday Upgrades

Over the holidays we continued with our school revitalisation project. The administration area, hall foyer, library and various other bits and pieces were painted, giving these spaces a refreshing update. The hall foyer has had a major overhaul and with the addition of a storage cupboard, for all the tables, and with some added greenery, it is no longer a dark, shabby area but a bright and welcoming entry space.

The holidays saw the removal of all the old, failing data projectors and interactive whiteboards and the installation of large interactive screens in all classrooms. The Infants block has matching noticeboards in their corridors and the primary classes saw the addition of acoustic noticeboards in their spaces, coordinating with their new furniture. The Kinder shelter has been painted and has a new roof on it and it blends beautifully into our outdoor space. We have had a lockable space made at the back of the hall stage for all our audio and music equipment.

This all has been a major accomplishment to achieve this over the break along with the annual summer clean and we are thrilled that it all came together in time for the start of the new school year.

School Weeks  

The numbering of the school weeks may cause a little confusion this term. Staff started back on Friday, 27th January and across the state this particular week was designated Week 1, therefore when the children started back at school they actually started in Week 2. Currently we are in Week 3. Crazy, we know! We will continue to send out our newsletters in the even weeks of the term, other than this first newsletter.

Student Absences 

Don’t forget that it is a legal requirement to inform the school, in writing, of your children’s absences.  This can be done via Compass or a written note; either way, please outline what the reason is.  Please explain whether your child is sick, in isolation, attending an appointment, on holiday, refusing to come to school, a family emergency etc. Even on Compass it doesn’t suffice to just indicate they are absent – a detailed reason is required.  

Canteen

Towards the end of last year we advertised for a new canteen manager. We secured someone who we felt was going to be ideal in the role, however, unfortunately circumstances changed and this has fallen through. We are currently re-advertising. In the meantime, we will be opening the canteen with Gina Pringle overseeing the canteen operations. We do, however, urgently need volunteers as the canteen days are Gina’s office days. If you have been cleared as a volunteer and have some time on your hands at the moment, on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, please sign up to assist either for lunch time or recess.

We aim to use our veggie garden produce in our canteen this year. We are after donations of glass screw top jars (up to 550ml) for goodies being prepared in the canteen from our own garden crops. Jars with no visible writing on lids are preferred.

Volunteers

With the easing of restrictions we will be able to have volunteers to assist with activities such as excursions, carnivals, canteen, uniform shop and classroom activities.  If you think you might like to  volunteer for activities such as excursions, carnivals, canteen, uniform shop and classroom activities you need to register for this by completing the following process

What you need to do: 

Go to  Volunteer Registration Form

There is no longer any need to print off and complete any forms that are in the Volunteer Policy or the Code of Conduct resource that are included on this page. 

• Answer the questions, then you will receive an email explaining about the police check with Verify Now. Complete this process.
• Once we have been informed that your police check has come back, we are able to enlist your services.  We have been told this process can take up to 3 weeks and our experience last year was that it was even longer (3 months at times). So, if you think you might like to volunteer for something this year, even if is just one activity, we strongly encourage you to start the registration process as soon as possible. 

Uniforms

Wearing the school uniform is part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning framework, where the children show care and pride in both themselves and their school.  The adherence to a uniform policy is very often mentioned in enrolment interviews by prospective families as something that they are looking for in a school.  We believe that over the years the St Joseph’s community has worked hard at establishing a comfortable, practical and smart looking uniform for all our students and that it helps in connecting all the students to our community.

Key Points regarding Uniforms:

• Black school shoes (not sports types shoes, without embellishments and of a ‘smooth’ surface)
• White, or predominantly white, trainers with white laces

• Shoulder length, or longer, hair is to be tied back and hair needs to be cut in such a way that it does not hang in children’s eyes or is fastened back with appropriate hair accessories. This applies to both boys and girls.
• Jewellery may include plain ‘sleepers’ or studs, without gem stones. Necklaces, friendship bands and anklets are not part of the school uniform.
• Hair accessories that are only in school colours of blue and/or gold are acceptable.
• Temporary tattoos, nail polish and make-up are also not part of our uniform.

In the case of your child not being able to wear the full school uniform at any stage, please follow our policy requirements of providing your child’s class teacher with a brief explanation through a note or email to school admin. Thank you for your support in helping us to encourage and maintain your children’s pride in our school.

COVID

While COVID-19 remains an unpredictable virus, NSW Health advise that it will continue to present a health risk to the community. Accordingly, schools will continue to implement baseline COVID-smart measures to help reduce the risk of transmission for students and staff members. These key COVID-smart measures include:

• staying home and getting tested if unwell, and only attending school when symptom free
• rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff. People exposed to COVID-19 should follow NSW Health Guidelines and test to identify infection early even if they are not experiencing any symptoms.
• strongly encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and their families, including a booster shot (when eligible).

P&F 

Our first Parents and Friends meeting for 2023 will include our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and will take place on Wednesday 22nd February with ‘wine and cheese’ in the Library.  We would love to see as many of you as possible at this.  This first meeting will be in person only, rather than a hybrid one with the option of Zoom.

Pick Up Arrangements

In order to avoid costly fines please ensure that you follow the traffic rules for Kiss and Ride Zones. The rule is that you cannot park and get out of your car to walk your child in or to collect them. You are also not allowed to wait in a line of traffic to pick up, if you are blocking a parked car.  You are required to drive around the block and keep the flow of traffic happening.  We understand how frustrating this is, but we cannot do anything about this.  Our suggestions are:  

1. Do not all come right on bell time. If you delay your arrival the cars will flow smoothly through Kiss and Ride and you will not be held up, timewise, any more than you would be, sitting in the queue.  Teachers will not leave students on the footpath on their own, they will be cared for.  

2. Use the services of our school crossing supervisor and let your children walk across the crossing and then down one of the side streets where you will be parked.  They don’t need to cross any major roads on their own and you don’t get stuck in a traffic jam.  This is a particularly helpful practice if your children are in Primary.

Remember to use your laminated name cards – place them on the visor of your car, which is to be pulled down as you approach Kiss and Ride. If you need any more of these cards throughout the year or for extra family members, contact the office.

Pedestrian pickup is in the school playground or at the parish car park gates.  We are continuing to use the one-way system: Enter via the Union St main gate and exit by the parish car park gates.  This system ensures a safer afternoon departure practice for both students and families. We ask that you do not take offence if a staff member asks you to exit via the appropriate gates if they notice this practice is not occurring.

2023 Staff

Our staff for this year is:  

Thank you for the preparations you have made in order to send your children back to school, looking smart in their uniforms; many with brand new lunch boxes that they are excited about; and ready to be involved in what is happening at school.

Shine your light,

Karen

Professional Learning

The staff at St Joseph’s are excited about the learning that will occur in our classrooms this year. We are ready to challenge our students and engage in interesting learning activities. Our teachers and learning support assistants recently took part in a day of professional learning with James Nottingham. We plan to implement and embed the learning from this professional development into all aspects of the curriculum. We want our students to be engaged in rich learning activities where they are challenged and supported by each other, their parents and their teachers. Learning occurs when we are challenged and step outside our comfort zone and as James Nottingham describes it, students enter ‘The Learning Pit’. The Learning Pit is an analogy that illustrates how we learn. We will be sharing this with the children from Kinder-Year 6 and will also take you on this learning journey as well, in future newsletters.

Source

Curriculum Sharing in 2023

Throughout 2023 each class will share components of what they are learning in each curriculum area. The class curriculum sharing will replace class Newsletter inserts. Twice a term classes will post in the Compass Class News Feed about what the students have been learning. The NSW curriculum contains six Key Learning Areas: English, Mathematics, HSIE (Human Society and It’s Environment), Science and Technology, Creative Arts and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE). As we are a Catholic school we also teach Religious Education. Each term we will have a focus on two Key Learning Areas. In Term 1, we will share photos that reflect student learning in English and Religious Education. The English themed Class News Feed will be distributed during Week 5 and Religious Education in Week 10.

Greetings for 2023!

Welcome back to what promises to be a busy and exciting year. A special welcome to our new families. You now belong to our St Joseph’s school community and we’re very pleased that you’re here journeying with us. Our children are exceptionally fortunate to be part of such a special environment. We look forward to a successful and happy year of learning and fun together.

Semester One Student Council

In Week 3, Students in Years 2-6 will have the opportunity to nominate themselves for the Semester One Student Council. Student Council members represent the peers in their class and bring suggestions forward on how together we can make St Joseph’s an even better place. The council meets each fortnight with Mrs Charnock. Students who were part of the Student Council in 2021 and 2022 are ineligible to put themselves forward for the council in 2023. This is one way we try to ensure that students across each of the classes have as much possibility to develop their leadership skills as possible.

We will announce our Semester One student council early next week via Compass and in our Week 4 Newsletter.

Celebrating Birthdays

At St Joseph’s we value recognising and celebrating children’s birthdays.  Turning a year older is significant and acknowledging this as a school and/or class is important.  The ways we do this are at Monday morning assemblies where students receive a card at the beginning of their birthday week. Classes may also have different routines such as singing ‘Happy Birthday’ at the beginning of the day or the child wearing a special birthday badge. A gentle reminder to parents that we do not celebrate birthdays at school with food.  Please save these scrumptious delights for the special events you may have planned for at home. 

Water Bottle and Food Safety

We also request that students do not bring in glass water bottles to school. Plastic or metal drink bottles are a much safer option as we know that drops can accidently happen and shattered glass on the playground is very dangerous. Another point we ask parents is not to send in tinned food which have ring pulls. Often opening these cans is very difficult for students and once opened, the metal edge is sharp and unsafe. Opening these food items at home and packing them in a small plastic container is a better option. Thank you for your understanding.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

St Joseph’s are a Positive Behaviour for Learning school. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a comprehensive, integrated whole school approach to student wellbeing and behaviour.  PBL is a process that supports school leadership teams to create positive learning environments that enable student learning and wellbeing.

Successful implementation of PBL is underpinned by the support and commitment of the whole school community.

PBL is based on a three-tiered continuum of prevention and intervention:

• Tier 1 - Universal prevention: school-wide and classroom systems for all students, staff and settings.
• Tier 2 - Targeted interventions: small group systems for students at-risk behaviourally and academically.
• Tier 3 - Intensive interventions: systems for students with high-risk behaviour and/or learning needs.

From extensive consultation with students and staff, four expectations for positive behaviour were identified.  They are

• Act Safely
• Be Respectful
• Care for All
• Do your Best

Dash the Dolphin is our specific school PBL mascot.

Students will continue to receive ‘Dash tokens’.  These tokens will be given out by staff as they see students doing the right thing.  Fortnightly tally updates will be given out at our Monday morning assembly. Twice a term, as the tokens are gathered in sporting houses, we’ll be rewarding the colour house which has the most. These rewards might be as simple as a picnic lunch on the field, extra playtime or an ice block.

Being a PBL school, we have formulated a flowchart to follow if students do not keep to one of our expectations.  This flowchart asks staff to define ‘minor’ and ‘major’ behaviours and details a consistent procedure for all to follow. Please take the time to read over the flowchart.

The flowchart details how minor and major misbehaviours are recorded on the student’s file in Compass. The purpose of this is to have a consistent way of keeping track of student behaviour and identifying ways we can support students in developing positive behaviour. For minor misbehaviours, teachers use their professional judgement in deciding if parents need to be informed or not. Be assured that teachers will communicate with parents about their child’s behaviour if required.

Below is a copy of the school’s PBL PowerPoint for you to have a look at

There is also the program launch on Wednesday 15th February at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Library News

Welcome to the refreshed and reorganised Library.  It’s not the major overhaul we are planning for, but it is a little pick me up for in the meantime. We are thrilled with the new layout and the students have all been commenting on how fresh and bright everything looks. They are particularly enjoying working at the new high tables. Feel free to come in and have a look if you are at school.

Borrowing

We are going to commence borrowing this week.  As in previous years, 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B and Kindergarten will borrow on Mondays and 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and 6G will borrow on Friday. Please remind your child to bring their library bag with them on their scheduled borrowing day.

Safer Internet Day

This Tuesday is International Safer Internet Day. The international theme for the day is “Together for a better internet” and the Australian eSafety commissioner is calling on Australians to Connect, Reflect, and Protect. 

• Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social   media in positive ways.
• Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others.
• Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help. Safer Internet Day

As part of our return to school library lessons, students are looking at ways to keep safe when using the internet.  These activities will continue on Tuesday, Safer Internet Day,  with activities in each class.

By doing these simple things, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day. Please take the time to view these no-cost, evidenced based resources that have been provided for students and their families.

Kids 

Young People

Parents